Gut Reaction: Week 5 - Broncos @ Cowboys

They were tested, but remained undefeated. Peyton Manning stayed on pace for the record books. And the Broncos remembered they’ve got to play at least a little defense to win.

What should we remember? A team scored 48 points and they still couldn't beat your Denver Broncos.

The Positives

Today Knowshon Moreno played like the guy Josh McDaniels drafted. I admit, I didn’t think Moreno would even crack the lineup this year. And yet, he’s killing it like Kowalski.

As much as I get after Ronnie Hillman, he did play well today, flashing that trademark speed.

Peyton Manning still maintained before the game that his familiarity with the Tampa-2 would not help him against the Cowboys because “personnel are always different.” Uh-huh. Manning dissected the Cowboys like a high school biology teacher with no life outside of frog and knives.

I got a woody watching Julius Thomas run a slant route for a touchdown. The Broncos are going to be able to get some mileage out of that route in a lot of different situations this year. Good luck to any cornerback trying to go through Thomas to disrupt that route.

Adam Gase is a part of this unstoppable force otherwise known as the Denver Broncos offense. If we assume he had something to do with the play Peyton Manning ran in for a touchdown, we’ve got to hand it to Gase. No one—not even the cameraman—saw that coming.

The Broncos defensive line continues to stone anyone who tries to run against them. Kevin Vickerson, Mitch Unrein, Robert Ayers, Terrance Knighton—all of them continue plugging away.

Matt Prater made some big kicks today. So what there was no wind—when the game was on the line, Prater’s leg was on display.

John Fox went conservative at exactly the right time, taking a knee to run the clock down for a Prater chip-shot winner.

Danny Trevathan played average for the most part, but when he needed to make a play, he made one that was as athletic as you’ll ever see. Make sure to watch that replay again and again—and again.

John Fox said before the game that Tony Romo has cut down his decision errors this year—well at least coming into today. In this game, he was right, except in the one drive that mattered most.

Honorable Mention: Any damn person who took an offensive snap.

The Negatives

Despite my contention that Denver would still kick ass without Von Miller, they could have used him today—big time. If you didn’t notice, Tony Romo threw for more yards in one game than most quarterbacks do in two. I will guarantee one thing, though: when Miller comes back, no quarterback is going to throw for 500 yards. And no team is going to score 48 points.

Let’s face it—Jack Del Rio sat back today and didn’t bring a lot of pressure until the fourth quarter. And it took him too long to abandon the zone for the second straight game. I doubt he makes the same mistake again.

Perhaps Del Rio knew going to man coverage would expose Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the wrath of Dez Bryant. DRC has played so well this year, so I think I should probably give him a pass for one bad game. Still, the one bad game was a stink bomb.

Several of the Cowboys' touchdowns came down to poor tackling. The good news? It can be fixed.

It goes without saying that Eric Decker’s fumble was a real bitch—with real teeth.

Rahim Moore was playing so deep in the first half, it’s like he was expecting the Cowboys to take a shot downfield on every drive. In truth, he was on to something, wasn’t he?

Don’t blame Tony Carter on the touchdown he gave away (unless you bitch about his tackling). That’s all on Duke Ihenacho as our own Ted Bartlett noted in his Live Blog.

The only things that stop the Broncos' offensive drives are penalties and mental errors. Just ask my good friend, Manny Ramirez (on an otherwise good day).

Speaking of mental errors, Peyton Manning’s first interception of the year was one of the worst underthrows you’ll ever see.

Duke Ihenacho can have a bad game every now and again. This was one of games. Bad angles, poor tackling, average coverage—a Jedi does not these things.

The Who The Heck Knows

I watched the Chiefs and Titans play the early game. After seeing the Chiefs’ secondary shrink wrap the Titan’s receivers, I was salivating at the prospect of the Broncos’ receiving corps going up against them. It’s going to be fun seeing if the Chiefs can play their tight man coverage against the Thomas brothers, Decker, and Welker, play after play after play.

Another thought from the Chiefs’ game: I don’t think Alex Smith makes it through the year injury-free.

I expected that Champ Bailey would be out a few weeks, but I never expected he would come back only a week ahead of Von Miller—if that.

The Broncos did today what they rarely do—which is to say, they settled for field goals in critical situations.

Chris Harris is as valuable as any member of the Broncos. Let’s hope that concussion is nothing more than a one-week deal.

Speaking of injuries, once Wesley Woodyard and Harris went out, things started to go downhill pretty fast. That tells you something about the Broncos’ defense without them.

Jeff Legwold believed the Cowboys would do the most damage against the Broncos via the run of any team they have faced. Further, he thought the Cowboys might force the Broncos into a physical slugout-type of game. That prediction couldn’t have been more wrong. In fact, it looks like the only way to stay with the Broncos this year is to try and beat them in a shootout.

I’m not sure, but I think I heard Phil Simms try to make a case for the Cowboys to decline the holding penalty on the Broncos when they were in the red zone. A second later, I think I heard him disagree with himself. That’s called Schizophrenia.

I’m sure Rob Lowe kills it during family touch each year, but I don’t think anyone cares enough to make a commercial about it.

So sorry you are sensitive about it. I said that the would dump both DJ and Doom becuase of their salary cap and really did not think they would be dumb enough to resign Clady considering we have Manning to run the team.. I was wrong on one of the three..

But i have to wonder IF they know what they know now after five games, would they have resigned him or let him walk..

Posted by Lonestar47 on 2013-10-07 14:01:51

just look at the position of the CB and Safety.Manning under threw it. If he threw it to the outside, decker would of caught the ball or atleast not INT. Decker was still in stride, 3 yards away from claiborne when the ball was intercepted.

Posted by David Huynh on 2013-10-07 12:42:01

Atrocious.. I don't see that.Texans went 13-3Luck broke out with the ColtsPatriots were basically themselvesBengals..Yeah.. I really don't follow

And if he'd given up 3 sacks and we lost the game or PM was injured, we'd be really glad we payed Clady and really sorry he was out. Were you saying Clark was this good 2 months ago? If so, I'd like to see that post because I don't really recall that...

Your hindsight is so strong, it might be just be getting a little brown on your forehead.

Q: Why do you feel the need to post negative or holier than thou comments about everything? You really DON'T "just have to add" and it doesn't really add anything to the conversation. It really gets old.

Posted by cjfarls on 2013-10-07 10:11:18

Yup. The reason why they completed all those passes is in large part to their O-line covering the rush and the blitz.

Was thinking last night is that a great coach can minimize the mistakes, but the players have to win the game.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-10-07 10:09:56

Tebow is back in the NFL? Just speculating...

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-10-07 10:07:15

Oh my god that's hillarious. It's as funny as Rivers' first pick. That was classic D'oh!

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-10-07 10:01:35

LOL...that explains it! I was wondering what the heck was going on.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-10-07 09:56:42

I'm curious whether that Manning interception was truly an underthrow, or if either something in the pass rush made him pull back a bit or if Decker and Manning's communication was off, and Decker was in the wrong spot. Or, one other possibility is that maybe the sun got in his eyes....

I can't hang too much on the defense's safeties/linebackers/DB's (even Ihatenachos). Romo had WAY too much time to throw. Several plays were comically frustrating watching the linemen run around trying to get past their blocks and at Romo.

If KC does cover the Denver receivers well, I'm sure that Manning/O-line/Moreno will put together something to get some serious yards out of #27.

I don't mind the field goals, either. They beat the heck out of taking big chances and turning the ball over. I wonder if that was on Manning's mind...that the defense couldn't stop the bleeding, so might as well keep the game within reach?

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-10-07 09:55:46

I want my house to be more like a palatial estate.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-10-07 09:41:43

Jerry wants Tony to be more like Peyton. Good luck with that, Jerry. Every time i saw Romo on the sideline, he was staring at molecules of air in front of hmi. When I saw Peyton on the sideline, he was working.

Posted by bradley on 2013-10-07 09:37:57

He scrambled out of several plays I thought for sure we would have a sack. I think our D line got frustrated and then tired. Not their best game by a long shot but I credit Romo for making plays. Until he didn't on their last drive. :)

Posted by Steven_Searls on 2013-10-07 08:58:03

Ponder, A. Smith, Bradford etc...

Posted by Andrew on 2013-10-07 08:38:56

To his defense, what starter in the NFL today has a weaker arm than Manning? I can't think of one..

Posted by Dirdybou on 2013-10-07 08:37:08

What are you talking about?I saw all kinds of blitzes, I saw man and I saw zone. We just couldn't cover long enough whatever we were in..Just goes to show a leader is often overrated, it's the players that play the game.

Posted by Dirdybou on 2013-10-07 08:35:23

I love the idea of DCs having to designate a spy for Manning in the red zone. It doesn't get any funnier than that.

Posted by Jason Chestnut on 2013-10-07 07:33:36

What butt-hurt. Is he a Cowboys fan? Or maybe Philly?

We know he's not a raiders fan, because he was able to complete a sentence _AND_ type it on a computer.

Posted by Jason Chestnut on 2013-10-07 07:32:08

I don't who said this but I like it:"Watching Oakland beat San Diego is like watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac."

Posted by ivanthenotsobad on 2013-10-07 05:30:01

What's better is it's now on tape. Other teams are going to have to prepare for it just in case it happens more frequently more than once ever five years.

Posted by ivanthenotsobad on 2013-10-07 05:16:20

Just have to add the guy he replaced so capably so far is making near ten million against our cap. Hmmmmmmm

IIRC many said he was worth it.

Posted by Lonestar47 on 2013-10-07 03:54:21

This game is hilarious.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-10-07 01:47:57

He needs to be a little more disciplined (as in avoiding penalties and keeping his eyes on his man at the end of plays), but he has all the physical tools for a corner, and he´s apparently quite the worker to have improved this nicely in his first season. Could be quite the player.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-10-07 01:44:41

Definitely. I think he could be one of the best players on the team some day.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-10-07 01:33:55

But the AFC won the Superbowl.

Posted by Brian H on 2013-10-07 01:10:20

I know last year's Ravens playoff loss was supposed to be the 96 Jags loss version 2.0, but as a fan this game really felt a whole lot like that Jacksonville playoff game. There was the same overconfidence/cockiness creeping into the fanbase and then out of the blue the defense goes through a period where it is unable to make a stop against a decent, but not great, offense.

Obviously this game was not as important and the defense stepped up to make a play at the end when they needed to. As long as we get back to back Super Bowl championships out of it, I am not gonna worry about the details.

Posted by MattR on 2013-10-07 01:05:05

San Diego losing after everything we´ve heard about Rivers making them a playoff team is icing on the cake, am I right?

Posted by Goéland on 2013-10-07 01:03:15

Absolutely. Conservative coaches refuse to take a risk when doing so can ice the game for them; in this instance, he did choose the play that iced the game for the Broncos. Foxball would have been him making the offense run 3 straight times just after the Trevathan pick, and settle for a longer field goal while still leaving time on the clock for the Cowboys. The way the Broncos ended the game left no possibility for Dallas, combining good time management with one of the plays with highest probability of success in the NFL (chip shot FG). Smartest way to end it.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-10-07 00:56:09

Just to cap off our evening, Oakland is killing San Diego on the NFL late night.

Posted by Alaskan on 2013-10-07 00:55:13

That, and the play where he pushed Witten out of the end zone very visibly, and for some reason wasn´t penalized. Very lucky on that play, but it was stupid and could have cost us big.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-10-07 00:49:41

Situational awareness in those close games makes all the difference. Great to see our QB and RB exhibit it in spades.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-10-07 00:45:00

Well, before the season, we were coming off a year in which the AFC was absolutely atrocious. At that point, it made sense to say it.

Posted by DragonPie on 2013-10-07 00:36:25

He's just trying to be a contrarian. Let's not click on the link, so as to not drive his hits up.

Posted by Hercules_Rockefeller on 2013-10-07 00:02:48

Yeah, but how's he going to get pressure without leaving the D backfield exposed? His best covering LB is out, and the second best isn't at 100% (I saw Irving exposed on a couple of plays Woodyard would have made, and Trevathan gave up a couple of passes where he looked like he wasn't quite a full speed). He's got his fifth best CB in coverage, and his safeties aren't playing particularly well. When he did blitz, Romo completed several quick passes. I'm not sure there was that much more he could do.

Posted by Hercules_Rockefeller on 2013-10-07 00:01:26

Positive #1: Moreno. I'd give him #1 and #2. Great quote from Manning (on the official site):

“We did not want to give them the ball back,” Manning said. “I’ve never been in a situation quite like that in the end where we needed to get the first down but we didn’t need to score. That difference was about half a yard. Knowshon and I were arguing at the end. He basically was asking, ‘How am I supposed to do that. How can I get half a yard but not get a yard and a half?’ I just said, ‘You can’t. You can’t score. You can’t do it."

Amazing that it worked out that way, as Moreno (on third down) had to power into the defenders for the first down, but stop before the goal line. (Watching the replay, you can see Manning and Moreno arguing right before the snap).

Posted by billyricky on 2013-10-06 23:59:57

I was really hoping Moreno would pick up the first down and not the TD; but that's easy to figure out from the comfort of my sofa. How great is is that we've got a QB who's aware of these sort of things while in the heat of battle on an opposing team's field, surrounded by about a million drunken Texans?

Posted by Hercules_Rockefeller on 2013-10-06 23:56:18

Oline is killing it...no false starts.

moreno legit, manning is the best ever

Posted by Joshua Graham on 2013-10-06 23:54:43

Kayvon's been thrown into the deep end with the recent injuries in the defensive backfield, and while he's made his fair share of rookie mistakes, I'm definitely pleased with his play this far. Sometimes a little trial by fire is the best thing for a rookie (especially a position like CB, where your mistakes are so public and putting them behind you is so essential).

Posted by Hercules_Rockefeller on 2013-10-06 23:52:48

Absolutely correct. Luckily getting the first down without scoring the touchdown changed the entire scenario, but for a moment there we were looking at a good chance of heading to overtime. And the new OT procedures wouldn't have mattered a bit; this game would've been decided by the coin flip.

Posted by Hercules_Rockefeller on 2013-10-06 23:47:37

I don't know how much of an adjustment Del Rio could have made with the personnel he had on hand. I feel that he's shown a great ability to mask the absence of our two best defensive players with his scheming, but when they were down a CB the other day his options were a bit limited and the defense suffered for it. Today was the day that the D simply ran out of depth and there wasn't a heck of a lot to be done about it. If you give us back any one of Woodyard, Harris, Bailey, or Miller and it's a different game. It probably still would't be a stellar game for our D, but a different game none the less.

Here's hoping Bailey gets back next week so that Harris can sit out and let his concussion heal, and then we get Miller back the week after. And shortly thereafter we've got the bye week, which should help guys like Trevathan (who didn't look like he was at 100% today), Woodyard, and Ayers get back to full speed.

Posted by Hercules_Rockefeller on 2013-10-06 23:44:09

For Positive #5: Legwold (or was it the DP? I don't remember exactly) says that nobody knew Manning was going to bootleg except Manning - no coaches, no players knew. I think I I remember the story quoting Manning as saying that.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-10-06 23:36:20

Am I the only person that saw linebackers rushing, leaving gaps in the middle? Especially in the 3rd quarter, as I recall.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-10-06 23:31:40

The only negative for Webster that I remember is the last Dallas drive of the first half - he was sitting in space instead of getting closer to the receiver, who caught a pass and took it into field goal position. He may have been looking to make sure no one came over the middle, but it seemed like he should have been closer to the receiver standing near the sideline.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-10-06 23:30:12

It wasn't just the zone - he also blitzed quite often, but not successfully. Many times the pass went right where the blitzer just left - a la Peyton Manning.

(I really disagree with negative #2 - thy rushed linebackers often. In fact, a negative for me is they kept blitzing when it wasn't working).

Posted by billyricky on 2013-10-06 23:27:15

I couldn't believe it. Although it was on the NFL site and not CBS as I originally stated.

I almost felt like I was reading an Onion article.

Posted by The_Operative on 2013-10-06 23:24:13

LOL. What in the world?

It's almost indisputable at this point that no quarterback in the NFL has played at this high of a level over 5 games as well as PFM is right now, and the guy is going to say that? Hilarious.

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 23:18:53

Unbelievable play from him since the second he stepped on the field to replace Clady. I never would have guessed he would play this well. Major kudos to him.

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 23:15:15

Who is that Chris Wesseling clown on CBSsports?

"... to compensate for what has devolved into the weakest arm among NFL starters."

" Manning is throwing wounded ducks all over the field..."

Posted by The_Operative on 2013-10-06 23:14:15

The "Not Peyton Manning Player of the Game" has to be Moreno. That guy was freakin' lights out today. Without seeing the stats, I can say with certainty that was the best game of football he's ever played.

He has better hands than some receivers, can now run with authority through the line to pick up tough yardage, has the speed to get outside and gain yards on the edge, and pass block at an elite level from the running back position. I can guarantee that this offense doesn't hum as quickly as it does and operate at such a high level without his contributions this season.

When he scooped that pass from Manning off the turf on 3rd and 10 on our last TD drive, spun around and burst forward for the first down.... Man, that's just a phenomenal football play. We don't win today without that play.

So, the guy has caught a lot of flack from us Broncos fans over his career and now deserves praise in heaps. If you are guilty of doubting Knowshon, step forward and pay your respects below. :)

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 23:13:28

With so many strong cover guys out or injured, I think he was trying to play it safe a little bit. The defense will get their swagger back when they get their best players back.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-10-06 23:11:07

oops meant Irving... but I think you knew that

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 23:08:50

A perfect play that iced the game for us.

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 23:02:55

Way to early to get down on Sly. That position takes the longest to adjust and excel on the defense, in my opinion.

Kayvon is a really impressive athlete, he looked just as big as Dez when he was running stride for stride with him a few times, even though he's not.

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 23:01:36

I can't remember how many times the voice in the back of my head said "Man I wish Von was in there" while staring in dismay at our four rushers get stonewalled again, and again, and again.

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 22:59:58

That is insane.

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 22:57:19

Nothing needs to be said about the offense or any players on it, they are awesome.

I think that was the worst game I've seen Del Rio call as our Coordinator. He had one defensive scheme called for the entire game... rush 4 linemen, drop everyone else back into zone coverage. It was predictable and ineffective, and his failure to adjust after seeing we were getting no pressure with four rushers was cringe-worthy.

If your guys are getting gashed repeatedly in that coverage, and they're scoring at will, you have to find a way to bring more pressure on Romo. It was big losing Wood and Harris, but if anything, that should have made switching it up and bringing extra rushers and trying to confuse Romo in any way more important.

It's good we got tested, but I sure as heck hope Del Rio finds a way to get some swagger back into this D. Anyone miss the days when he was bringing guys from all over the place to get after the QB?

Posted by aLuffabo on 2013-10-06 22:56:14

So that's what they were arguing about. I wondered. Moreno seemed upset, but that's the difference between a grunt and a general -- sometimes you get orders which don't make sense on the face of it.

Posted by DCJ1 on 2013-10-06 22:50:14

Britton Colquitt has punted a total of three times within the last three games.

If Britton Colquitt's contract is 3 years for 13 million and he continues his pace of punting, then he'd make a total of $270,630 on his last three punts alone

Posted by Dubs on 2013-10-06 22:37:17

I love how the first thing John Fox did when he was interviewed on the field was talk about all the Bronco fans (like our man in Iowa) at the game. I like that he's encouraging all the other Bronco fans from around the country to come out and support the team.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-10-06 22:34:40

Dez Bryant had a huge game, but Demaryius Thomas had two circus catches on the back shoulder in the 4th qtr. Dez Bryant couldn't have made those kinds of catches Thomas made.

Posted by helixion12 on 2013-10-06 22:24:30

Nobody is saying it any more..but Klis and Kizla both said it several times early.. (they also both picked the Giants to beat us)

And IDK where you were before the season started..but ESPN, NFL Net.. Fox, Yahoo, NBC, CBS..Power rankings...Yeah...EVERYONE said this..And I think right about now...They are all having a nice tall glass of STFU

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 22:17:19

Tony Carter has been pretty suspect this year...if I'm looking for a negative.

A two week bye (jax) is needed to get guys a little rest for the stretch run. Honestly, I could care less if we mail it in to Jax and not have anyone get hurt.

Posted by Ralph_W on 2013-10-06 22:13:48

Hope Harris and Woodyard are ok. Woodyard might have a neck injury?

Posted by Hank Mardukis on 2013-10-06 22:11:37

Nate Webster is serving a 12 year prision sentence. I doubt he's getting work release.

I dont really see what he did as conservative.... just smart. While there is always risk of a Prater miss, was that really more than a kickoff return or Romo miracle play? Maybe the odds would back going for the TD, but I dont see this as an example "foxball" at all.

Posted by cjfarls on 2013-10-06 22:10:05

I was confidant we were going to score but i sure wasn't confidant that we could stop them if we left any time on the clock.

Posted by IDBronco on 2013-10-06 22:10:03

When he was stopped short of the endzone, but still made the first down, I breated a sigh of relief.

Posted by DragonPie on 2013-10-06 22:09:17

Dallas only punted once. Has there ever been a game without a single punt?

Posted by IDBronco on 2013-10-06 22:05:28

He definitely blew his assignment a few times against Witten. He was alright overall, but TJ was right to call him out. Romo and Witten ate his lunch.

Posted by JR Giddings on 2013-10-06 22:03:04

Is anybody really saying that. I mean, last year it was true and I heard it, but this year, I only noticed a couple of articles pointing out the AFC's head to head lead.

Posted by DragonPie on 2013-10-06 22:02:51

to an afc team :)

Posted by Truman Jensen on 2013-10-06 22:01:06

Lol at #8.

Posted by WrathofChakaKhan on 2013-10-06 21:56:01

Love this from Manning. Inside two minutes on third -and-1, Peyton Manning said he told Moreno, "You can't score." Didn't want to give DAL the ball back

Posted by Alexis on 2013-10-06 21:51:11

I would tend to agree... if for not the worry about Chris Harris.. who we may need even worse than Champ vs Luck. Maybe play Champ.. get him back to football speed.. and rest Harris... and have BOTH vs Indy... instead of Carter at all.

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:47:51

Kayvon Webster continues to impress me. He was able to contain Bryant, unfortunately nobody else seemed to be able to.

Posted by Philip Jennings on 2013-10-06 21:45:23

Thought the same thing about Von. I kept thinking "this is the first time Miller's absence is really being felt." And do we really want to bring Bailey back against Jacksonville? At this point maybe just let him rest up for Andrew Luck, who has now beaten the 49ers and the Seahawks.

Posted by AldenBrown on 2013-10-06 21:42:18

I agree totally with all your points. Without stating the obvious, but the only problem I have is the way the defense fell apart..as I said in my comment it will be useful as a learning experience but I rather not have our backs constantly look burned for hail Mary's after forcing penalties and long yard situations. A win is a win is a win. So roll on to the next one.

Posted by chinny on 2013-10-06 21:41:58

> "Nate Webster was a complete no show."

Good thing, else we would have certainly lost the game.

Posted by MakeCents02 on 2013-10-06 21:39:07

Losing Chris Harris and Wesley Woodyard is why, upon time to reflect, it was the right call for John Fox to get conservative on the final drive of the game. I don't know if the defense could have survived holding off another Cowboys drive.

Best thing to do against the Jags is to get everyone healthy, so we have a lineup that is as strong as it can be when the Broncos play the Colts. Because the Colts are a team that scares me and not just because they beat Seattle today. Chuck Pagano just seems to know how to get the most out of his players.

I will say this, though: Even after Dallas took a late lead, I remained confident the Broncos would find a way to win because we've got Peyton MF Manning under center.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2013-10-06 21:38:52

Two observations:1. Though Dallas may have as much talent as any team, up till today they've been significant underachievers, perhaps Romo most of all. Today, they did about as well as they can. I suspect, going forward, as the now fairly celebrated favorite, the Broncos will get the best game of which their opponents are capable. Have to stay prepared; PM should be helpful here.2. I think injuries are beginning to catch up to the Broncos; While most of the "dinged" players were active today, those that played IMO had "ding"-impacted games. IMO dings are especially noticeable for teams that rely more on speed then strength. And the Bronco's are fast, but some of the fast players had less than stellar games today. I think the use of more zone in the DB is one indication of JDR attempting to protect the dinged players.

Posted by ivanthenotsobad on 2013-10-06 21:37:55

tremendous point about Trevethan.. not to mention overcoming the INT gaffe vs Ravens

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:36:47

I think you have to consider.. Moore led the defense with 6 tackles today.. 5 of them solo.. While the 506 in the air was the story.. And while Moore was out of place a lot of times.. I at least saw at least one stick that resembled the Steve Atwater/John Lynch shades...Yeah.. way big concern.. giving up 506 and an obscene 14.1 YPA for Romo.. It was no banner day for anyone on D.. but from what I saw on the big screen and from what I read in the boxscores... My blame is #1 the corners.. #2 the LBs (seriously.. apart from Trevathan's INT.. what do you remember their contribution to the game being?).. then I would split the blame with DL pass rush and Del Rio's lack of adjustment. While they didn't play great games.. Ihenacho, Moore and Adams are some of the least to blame today IMHO

In contrast to Philadelphia.. where the sidelines were killing us..Today.. the middle was just obscenely wide open.

And as great as I see Del Rio helping us... today was on him as much or more than anyone. We got killed in the zone.

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:33:37

I look at this game as the best possible thing that could have happened today.. We were tested.. and things actually didn't look so good early and things didn't look so good late.DRC and Carter just got owned.. but again.. Nate Webster was a complete no show. The DL pressured.. but gave too much time and didn't wrap Romo up.

I have to go along with feeling more pissed at Von Miller today than any game this year. Every time Romo had 10 seconds to connect for 30+ yards.. I could just picture Von Miller in my mind taking a bong rip.. and it drove me crazy.

We still desperately need Champ Bailey.. and Jack Del Rio.. really has to look at this game and make season long impacting philosophy decisions... I believe all these things will be positives down the road.

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:24:40

But Romo had a lot of time to throw, and that factors heavily into it. 4 TDs after Harris and Woodyard went out, so I´m pretty convinced the whole defense was out of whack by then, even if with the big plays, it´s fair to say the secondary didn´t have a good game.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-10-06 21:24:15

Trevathan getting carted off the field on Wednesday and making the game saving play today says a lot about the young man. He played hurt and had his ups and downs today, but he made the play when we needed it most. In the post game interview, he said, "I'm glad I didn't drop it in front of the goal line."

Let people run down the defense. I would love to see how any other team in the NFL performs with four key players missing. It will be that much sweeter when the Broncos get their horses back and start trampling people on both sides of the ball.

Knowshon is playing as well as any back in football. I strongly hope he's on the sidelines early next week. We need to keep him fresh.

Demaryius was held in check early, but he made a couple brilliant clutch plays down the stretch. There are simply too many arrows in Peyton's quiver.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-10-06 21:22:39

Its really hard to say without the All-22, but given the long plays and the passing yards, we should have seen a lot more of Rahim Moore. Safe to say the entire defensive backfield laid an egg today.

Posted by krissberg on 2013-10-06 21:21:07

I think I saw manning speak to fox to let him go in as a db! Just saying the way we pushed all the weight on manning and the offense(stepping up again) it makes me worried (just a tad). A few positives are 1) even when Broncos were down the offense stepped up 2) we won a tough slug match 3) defense can only get better. All of which will stand us in good stead mentally for the (not going to say it, to hex it) part of the season, more so than just winning from the front, though I would be more chilled when watching.

Posted by chinny on 2013-10-06 21:19:47

CAN WE FINALLY... quit having to listen to this shit that the NFC are a vastly superior conference? Seahawks lost..

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:15:48

thank you from keeping me from making three posts!!Clark possibly passed the biggest test of the year vs Ware...and the OL in general were disciplined and made the run game help us.A few penalties.. but overall..Got to throw majors to the OL

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:12:32

OH!! one more omission...We did not punt once today.

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:09:08

Co-signed. 0 sacks and no hits except for the penalty play is stupendous against Ware, even if he was battling a stinger.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-10-06 21:08:36

I am not going to say Ihenacho had a bad game when he did his job as a safety to tackle people. He was all over the field.. Sure.. we got burned for 506 in the air.. but Ihenacho made some big time tackles. And .. our three safeties were in the five top tackles with Moore first and Adams 2nd.. Easy to blame the corners.. and you'd be correct.. DRC got smoked and that's the worst game I've ever seen Carter play. But Kayvon Webster played a decent game.. love the speed that guy has.DRC had a terrible game.. but so did Nate Irving with only one tackle.There were a lot of bad tackles on the defensive front as well.. not bringing Romo downand giving him way way way too much time..

Great analysis overall.. just my $0.02 on some of the blame to go around on the defense.

Posted by heykyleinsf on 2013-10-06 21:07:36

I think Chris Clark deserves more than an honerable mention de facto!

Posted by helixion12 on 2013-10-06 21:04:29

Now I feel stupid for saying they should sit Trevathan because Romo wouldn't keep up with Manning anyway.